Not horsing around: donkey trekking in rural France

Accidental detours are embraced on a family break amid the Lot valley’s forests, abbeys and wildlife – all in the company of Lulu, their trusted donkey companion

A riding holiday used to be my ultimate dream: for 30 horse-mad years, I stared out of car windows and imagined galloping across moors and fields, fast and free. But middle age and a bad fall have done their insidious work and while I still love horses, I can’t shake the feeling they can be too unpredictable to trust. Time to test a more sedate kind of equine holiday: donkey trekking in rural France, walking with, rather than riding on, the donkey.